734 THE POPULAR SCIEXCE MONTHLY. 



asserts that, since they are the " Pope's Council " and his " broth- 

 ers/' their work is one, except that the Pope is favored with spe- 

 cial divine enlightenment. 



Having shown that the authority of the Scriptures, of popes, 

 and of cardinals is against the new astronomy, he gives a refuta- 

 tion based on physics. He asks : " If we concede the motion of 

 the earth, why is it that an arrow shot into the air falls back to 

 the same spot, while the earth and all things on it have, in the 

 mean time, moved very rapidly toward the east ? Who does not 

 see that great confusion would result from this motion ?" 



Next he argues from metaphysics, as follows : " The Coper- 

 nican theory of the earth's motion is against the nature of the 

 earth itself, because the earth is not only cold but contains in 

 itself the principle of cold ; but cold is opposed to motion, and 

 even destroys it— as is evident in animals, which become motion- 

 less when they become cold." 



Finally, he clinches all with a piece of theological reasoning, 

 as follows : " Since it can certainly be gathered from Scripture that 

 the heavens move above the earth, and since a circular motion 

 requires something immovable around which to move, ... the 

 earth is at the center of the universe." * 



^ But any sketch of the warfare between theology and science in 

 this field would be incomplete without some reference to the treat- 

 ment of Galileo after his death. He had begged to be buried in 

 his family tomb in Santa Croce; this request was denied. His 

 friends wished to erect a monument over him ; this, too, was 

 refused. Pope Urban said to the ambassador Niccolini that "it 

 would be an evil example for the world if such honors were ren- 

 dered to a man who had been brought before the Roman Inquisi- 

 tion for an opinion so false and erroneous ; who had communicated 

 it to many others, and who had given so great a scandal to Chris- 

 tendom." In accordance, therefore, with the wish of the Pope and 

 the orders of the Inquisition, Galileo was buried ignobly, apart 

 from his family, without fitting ceremonj^ without monument, 

 without epitaph. Not until forty years after did Pierrozzi dare 

 write an inscription to be placed above his bones; not until a 

 hundred years after did Nelli dare transfer his remains to a suit- 

 able position in Santa Croce, and erect a monument above them. 

 Even then the old conscientious hostility burst forth : the Inqui- 

 sition was besought to prevent such honors to "a man condemned 

 for notorious errors " ; and that tribunal refused to allow any epi- 

 taph to be placed above him which had not been submitted to its 



* For Chiaramonti's book and selections given, see Gebler as above, p. 2'71. For 

 Polacco, sec his work as cited, especially Assertiones i, ii, vii, x5, xiii, Ixxiii, clxxxvii, 

 and others. The work is in the White Library at Cornell University. The date of it 

 is 1644. 



